Hurricane Harvey: How You Can Help (Updated)

AUSTIN, TX — Watching the devastation wrought by what once was Hurricane Harvey—now a tropical storm threatening to unleash catastrophic flooding throughout the Texas Gulf Coast—one's reaction might be to help in some way. Well, let us count the ways.

Various venerable relief organizations have mobilized to help victims of the natural disaster, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane last Friday. Hundreds of people have been displaced as a result, and homes have been heavily damaged. While Harvey has since metamorphosed into a tropical storm, it continues to pelt a wide swath of the region with heavy rainfall—ushering in catastrophic flooding.

So it's likely many people will benefit from the altruism of others. As it happens, Harvey is far from done with his trajectory and is poised to inflict more damage.

Some Of The Many Ways You Can Help Harvey Victims

Fortunately, there are many organizations ready to help. Each of these groups will happily put your donation to good use in offering some measure of comfort to the displaced.

The grand dame of relief organizations, the American Red Cross dispatched a team of volunteers and emergency response vehicles well to the Gulf Coast even before Harvey's landfall. Volunteers arrived with food and medical supplies and secured shelter space for displaced residents. You can donate to the American Red Cross by clicking here. The American Red Cross is also seeking blood donations. Among blood banks to donate are Carter BloodCare and South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.

Catholic Charities USA not only provides emergency services in the wake of natural disasters, but also offers counseling to victims. Often, this form of aid is overlooked in favor of nourishing the body. Catholic Charities volunteers know the importance of nourishing the soul as well. Click here to donate.

Convoy of Hope volunteers were hard to miss along the wrecked Gulf Coast landscape, arriving to the region with trucks filled with much-needed supplies. Once there, the bright-uniformed volunteers took to the task of delivering relief supplies to those most in need. You can help them in their mission by donating here.

Direct Relief is another venerable relief organization offering comfort to victims of all manner of disasters since 1948. They delivered 118,000 pounds of medical aid (including 6.2 million doses of medication) as part of earthquake relief in Nepal; arrived in Liberia and Sierra Leone with 100 tons of supplies in regions hard hit by Ebola; were on the ground armed with medical supplies in response to Hurricane Sandy; offered more than 400 tons of emergency medical assistance in the wake of the Haiti earthquake in 2010. That's just to name a few of the trouble spots to which they've traveled. You can help their mission by clicking here.

Salvation Army is another one of those groups that's a household name, its mission widely known and universally applauded. Volunteers have sent needed supplies to the Texas Gulf Coast in various forms: food, shelter supplies, water and more. Moreover, volunteers have set up mobile kitchens in affected regions to feed the hungry and mobile laundry units to ensure the dignity of cleanliness to those affected. To help fortify their cause, click here. Donations to support the Hurricane Harvey relief work of The Salvation Army can be made online at www.helpsalvationarmy.org, text "STORM" to 51555, one at 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or checks designated “Hurricane Harvey” can be mailed to PO BOX 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301.

An evangelical Christian organization, Samaritan's Purse mobilized quickly to the Texas coastline to help people negotiate the battered landscape toward safer environs. Led by Franklin Graham (son of legendary Christian evangelist Billy Graham), the group knows its way around disaster zones. They've provided medical care in violence-torn Somalia in 1993 and Rwanda the following year; in Sudan since 1997; Kosovo in 1999; Afghanistan in 2002 and 2003. Samaritan's Purse has helped rebuild and repair thousands of homes following Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and many more disaster locales. To contribute to their mission, click here.

Team Rubicon volunteer ranks are composed of military veterans accustomed to coming to the rescue at disaster areas, with more than 3,700 volunteers deployed to Texas offering aid in the form of emergency services and supplies. To help, click here.

Other ways to help:

• Airbnb has launched a site for folks needing a place to stay with hosts willing to offer safe havens. Airbnp is waiving fees for such lodging and those offering shelter for check-ins prior to Sept. 1.
• Apple has devised a way of allowing users to donate to the American Red Cross directly on iTunes and its App Store.
• You might also consider donating to the crowdfunding site Global Giving, which is attempting to raise $2 million for funds that will "exclusively support local relief and recovery efforts from this storm," organizers wrote.
• United Way of Greater Houston has launched a relief fund, with priorities of food and shelter.
• Other organizations taking donations include Discoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi and the Texas Diaper Bank.
• The United Way of Greater Austin has set up a Disaster Relief Fund for Harvey survivors. Donate online and choose to send the money to specific counties or let the organization decide. Donations can be made online here.
• Central Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: Central Texas VOAD is a humanitarian association of independent voluntary organizations that are active in one or more phases of disaster: preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation. Visit the website here for a list of the safest, most secure ways to make monetary donations.
• Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: Central Texas and Texas VOAD consists of local, regional, and national nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and governmental partners that coordinate disaster relief, response and recovery. An extensive list of VOAD members is provided with information about how to donate to each. Visit the website by clicking here for more information.
• Travis Austin Recovery Group (TARG): Travis Austin Recovery Group is a long-term recovery group led by residents, experienced organizations and advisors to ensure effective relief for families and communities impacted by disasters. Donations can be made by clicking here.

>>> Uppermost image: Jennifer Bryant looks over the debris from her family business destroyed by Hurricane Harvey Saturday, Aug. 26 in Katy, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them. Photo by David J. Phillip/Associated Press